Tag Archives: Petals on the WInd

Happy Memorial Day! Before I talk TV, I just want to remind everyone to remember those men and women who gave their lives while serving in the armed forces. Men and women in the military have a hard, often thankless job, and they and their families deserve to be remembered. As for TV, it’s a slow night tonight, but there’s some great, fun stuff on, so check out what we’re recommending.

Jenny’s Choice #1

American Ninja Warrior is back, baby! I love this show. If you haven’t seen it, it’s the American version of a Japanese competition, where men and women across the country run an insane series of obstacle courses in both qualifying and final rounds before the national finals in Las Vegas for a chance to win a cash prize of $500,00 and the title “American Ninja Warrior.” The challenges are just seriously insane, and the contestants are amazing. This season, there will be school teachers, firemen, current and former members of the military, amateur sports enthusiasts, and even a few Olympic gold medalists competing for the chance to go to Vegas, where they face the hardest course yet: modeled after the famed Mt. Midoriyama in Japan. Just as a side note… There are additional episodes that will air on Esquire this season. (Last season, they were on G4.) On the next episode on NBC, they will show highlights from the Esquire episode, but I recommend watching those episodes as well. They will air the day after each NBC episode.

Tonight is a 2-part episode. The first is a one-hour special, “Countdown to American Ninja Warrior 2014,” where they count down the most exciting moments of the series. Then, on the 2-hour season premiere, “Venice Beach Qualifying,” competitors must tackle ten obstacles in the qualifying round including three brand new obstacles; the Slack Ladder, the Jumping Bars Into Cargo, and the Cannonball Alley. Olympian rower Susan Francia and luger Kate Hanson tackle the course along with Ninja veteran David Campbell.